Day two of the deciding Third Test between England and South Africa at The Oval has been postponed following the death of The Queen.
Buckingham Palace confirmed this evening that Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's longest-ever reigning monarch, had passed away "peacefully" at Balmoral, aged 96.
The nation will now enter an official period of mourning, with conversations taking place over whether to postpone sporting events this weekend and into next week.
The England Cricket Board have confirmed that there will be no play in the Test match between England and South Africa following the news.
The Test could continue this weekend, although a decision on that will be communicated in due course.
"Following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Friday's play between England and South Africa Men at The Oval, along with all scheduled matches in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, will not take place. For fixtures beyond Friday, updates will be provided in due course," read a statement on the ECB's official website.
In an earlier statement, the ECB added: "The England and Wales Cricket Board is deeply saddened at the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen and her late husband H.R.H. Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, both had a long history of supporting cricket and England's national sides.
"The two were Patrons and honorary life members of the MCC, and showed their support by attending games as often as they could over a 50-year period stretching from the early 1960s through to the first day of the second Ashes Test in 2013.
"H.M. Queen Elizabeth II was the United Kingdom's longest-reigning monarch. She ascended the throne on 6 February 1952 and was coronated on 2 June 1953. In 1977, the matches making up that year's men's Ashes Series were named the Jubilee Tests to commemorate The Queen's 25th year as monarch.
"Her Majesty opened the ECB National Academy at Loughborough University in November 2004. Today, those facilities continue to be the main training centre for all England players.
"The following year, she invited both the men's and women's England teams to Buckingham Palace to receive awards recognising their victorious Ashes campaigns.
"Before the 2019 Men's ICC Cricket World Cup, the Queen hosted all 10 competing captains at Buckingham Palace to wish them good luck. She later sent a message of congratulations to the victorious England team after its final victory over New Zealand. Our thoughts are with the whole Royal Family."
ECB chairman Richard Thompson added: "I'm sure I speak for everyone in the game when I say how truly sad I am to hear of the Queen's passing. Her Majesty has been such a great supporter of the game and was always so vocal of her and her late husband's enjoyment around the sport.
"Her dedication to her country will never be forgotten. For her service and her selflessness over her extraordinary reign, we owe her a debt that can never be repaid."
The Third Test between England and South Africa was due to begin on Thursday, but heavy rain prevented any play from taking place at The Oval.
The BMW PGA Championship has also postponed Friday's play, while the EFL and Premier League are understood to be in talks over the possibility of calling off football matches across the nation too.
Barney Corkhill
